The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the analytical determination of traces.
In M. J. Cohen et al Journal of Chromatographic Science, 1970, 8, 330-337, an ion drift spectrometer (IMS) possibly coupled with a mass spectrometer is disclosed for use in a sensitive analysis method for certain organic compounds. It is also known from Baum, M. A., Etherton, R. L.; Hill, H. H. Jr; Anal. Chem. 1983, 55; 1761-1766, to use an IMS apparatus as a detector for a gas chromatograph (GC) wherein the capillary of the GC apparatus was connected to the IMS apparatus.
Since with conventional IMS apparatus, no care has been taken to keep the volume and the reverse mixing of the sample chamber at a minimum, it is necessary with present apparatus to use substantially larger amounts of a substance as it would be necessary with substantially smaller probe chambers or with a capillary and a relatively long waiting time is needed for the substance to be again flushed out of the apparatus so that a new sample can be tested.
An analysis indicating the location of the traces cannot be obtained with any of the apparatus.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for a trace analysis by which also the location of the traces can be determined.